


Lowlifes of the Highest Order

by Midena



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Jeeko Week 2014, M/M, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 17:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2237601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midena/pseuds/Midena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pirates are scoundrels, lowlifes and thieves. But at their core, they're something else entirely, something that's hard to leave behind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lowlifes of the Highest Order

**Author's Note:**

> A submission for Princebender's Jeeko Week 2014 on Tumblr Day 1 - Pirates. This is the first time I'm ever writing Jeeko, romance or anything other than friendship, so I have no idea how this turned out. This is not entirely AU, rather canon divergence; I hope it's alright. Enjoy!
> 
> IMPORTANT EDIT: I don't imply that they're having sex, given that Jee himself acknowledges how young Zuko is. But in the future, of course, nothing stops them!

Most doubted its very existence. However, that didn't discourage the rumours in the slightest.

Like wildfire, word spread about the pirate ship that dared attack anyone, from other lowly pirates to Fire Nation admirals and Earth Kingdom commanders. If one believed the rumours, those pirates had roamed every ocean, dispatched about half of the other pirate crews and randomly pillaged various people in positions of power.

Of course, someone with a lot of inside knowledge could notice that the only thing linking those wealthy people together was their corruption, but the pirates couldn't have had that information, so it was a moot point.

The stories got wilder with each telling, and there was often new material from the pirates' latest looting courtesy of drunken sailors and officers who had fallen victim to them. As a result, between the exaggerations and the drink, nobody knew anything for sure. But there were some things that everyone agreed on.

The captain was the youngest, and he only had one eye. Had they been keeping all they were said to have stolen, any one of them would've been filthy rich ten times over. They hadn't once touched an honest, hardworking man. Last but not least, never target the captain or the first mate. The other is definitely going to get retribution by beating whatever fool tried within an inch of their lives.

Not even their names were known, but what really incurred the wrath of various officials were their elusive and unpredictable ways. On the rare times someone was in position to catch them once they made port (the timing being blind luck) the pirates had slipped away, and their captain surely was a tactical genius, for they could never predict their next destination!

…

A silver piece flew through the air, hit the map and ended up on deck with a clank. The young captain opened his eyes, one smiling playfully, the other always narrowed but vigilant.

"Where to, Jee?" he grinned at the man.

"Ember Island, Captain."

The boy, for he could not be called a man yet, thought for a second.

"Weigh anchor, men! We be going to Ember Island to find ourselves some pillaging to do!"

"Aye Capt'n!" came a chorus of eager voices.

"Captain, ain't that awfully close to the Fire Nation capital?" questioned the medic. He was treating someone's broken nose, which had come as a consequence of attempted blackmail. Seeing as Li had been the one on sober duty with the captain the previous night, until they next made port he had a boatload of blackmail material. Thus, the nose was a minor inconvenience.

"Exactly," the captain smiled a demonic grin. "They'll never see it comin'! Still," he raised his voice, "once we make port I want all of you rascals to be ready to set sail swiftly. Now set the course for Ember Island!"

"Aye, aye Capt'n!" They smiled at the fondness with which the word _rascals_ had rang out.

Captain Zuko made his way to his cabin on the stol- _commandeered_ Fire Nation ship. It was, admittedly, quite small, but also extremely fast and quite versatile. All in all, fitting for their line of work, where hasty retreats weren't uncommon.

As soon as he was in his cabin, he knew he wasn't alone. He took a firebending stance but quickly relaxed, seeing his first mate.

"You have to see this, Zuko."

"What happened?"

"This arrived a few minutes ago. It's from your Uncle." He gave Zuko a rolled up scroll, addressed to 'Lieutenant Jee' in General Iroh's handwriting.

It was too dangerous to send it to Zuko himself, as the hawk could be intercepted. However, and that was what worried Zuko, the last they had used hawks had been a year ago. After Zuko was declared dead, they found a safer if troublesome system so no one would find out.

"He shouldn't have chanced it!" Zuko blew up.

"With all due respect, Captain; read it!"

"This is serious, isn't it?"

Jee nodded, and Zuko gingerly unrolled the letter.

Zuko's face brightened, fell and steadily grew darker as he read, his grip tightening on the scroll until his knuckles turned white. When he finished, a frown bordering on a pout adorned his face, something that the first mate couldn't help but find cute.

The captain looked longingly at the cloth he had been using to cover his scar when not on the ship, and then Jee knew without a doubt that this, this _whatever_ they'd been doing for the past year, was over.

Captain Zuko left the cabin without a word.

"Change of course! We're going to the ruins of Taku!" What? Why Taku? The only thing close to that ghost town was the Pohuai stronghold, a Fire Nation fortress, and Zuko could not afford to have his identity revealed.

"Aye… Captain!" Jee could taste the confusion emanating from the crew even through the door but they did as ordered without question. The captain's voice was never so serious, not without reason.

A moment later, Prince Zuko came back into the cabin.

"Pohuai? Why Pohuai?" Jee asked, genuinely confused. Zuko sat heavily on a chair, audibly exhaling as if suddenly tired. "You read the letter, right? Zhao found the Avatar."

"And lost him, yes, of course I read it. I don't see what that has to do with-"

"He's just a little kid!" Zuko exploded, standing up. "Just a kid frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years, probably not even realising all his people are gone and there's an actual war going on, who only knows Airbending! Agni he's just twel-"

He was cut off by a firm but gentle kiss on the lips. Jee had found it a very effective way of getting Zuko distracted from his now sporadic anger outbursts.

"Interrupting is rude, you know. And might I remind you that you're not that old yourself, to be calling anyone a kid."

"You do know you just interrupted me, right Lieutenant?"

"You did it first; it was only fair to even the scales. Now can you please make your point without shouting? You don't want everyone and their mothers to hear us, yes?"

Zuko took a deep breath, like Uncle had taught him. A small flame, as well as the rest of his anger, followed the air as he exhaled.

"The Pohuai is where the Yuyan archers are, an elite force Zhao has always wanted to work for him. If what Uncle says is true, then he may soon have the rank to get them with no trouble. The Avatar is probably going north to find a Waterbending master, and will doubtless pass through there somewhere. Do you see my reasoning?"

"I see… I must admit, you've grown a lot in the three years I've known you." Jee couldn't help but be impressed. The arrogant, misguided brat that had come to his ship was no more, and the Lieutenant was proud to admit that he'd played a large role in that.

But Zuko didn't even crack a smile at the praise. Usually it was the number one way to get a beaming smile out of him.

"What's wrong?" Lightly, he cupped the kid's face in his hands and lifted it so he could look him in the eye. Zuko breathed in, then out, and spoke quietly.

"Once there, I will depart, alone, to find the Avatar."

"What?" Jee's jaw (and hands) dropped in surprise.

"He needs to learn Firebending, and nobody else can or will teach him."

Jee tried to collect his thoughts. He'd expected the Avatar's reappearance would change things, but this? Zuko going off alone in enemy territory, leaving them behind to get himself killed without any of them to help him?

"There's the Deserter, along with General Iroh."

"Jeong Jeong can't teach the Avatar. He's disgusted by his own element. We need Uncle to know what my fa- the Fire Lord is planning. No, don't you see, I'm the one who has to do it!"

"You've been thinking on this, haven't you?" Jee said, resigned. If Zuko got something into his head, there was no way to dissuade him. That hadn't changed.

"It's common sense. Anyway, after I leave you can take command and become captain or," his face looked pained, "… or we can disband the Dragon's Fire Pirates for good."

"Do you bear to do that?" Zuko took a deep breath, and Jee sensed a lot of talking coming. The Lieutenant pulled the prince to the futon, patting the space beside him. The boy sat down, sagging against Jee's shoulder, shaggy hair cushioning his head and the two small golden hoops on his good ear poking the Lieutenant.

"This whole thing was crazy from the start," he said, contemplating the eye patch again. "I knew we'd be found out eventually, but I could not pretend anymore that I wasn't changed. After the first year, when you and Uncle convinced me to go undercover in the Earth Kingdom, everything I thought I knew crumbled."

That's when the prince and the General decided to go off the grid, seeing as that way they could fight back against the Fire Nation, and Jee insisted on accompanying the prince so Iroh could keep an eye on the Fire Lord. A nice plan, right?

Then thinking about it, they decided they would hide _and_ strike back as pirates. At least, until they could amass the necessary weapons and manpower. But somewhere along the way, they ended up sabotaging more and more of the Fire Nation's endeavours, and giving a lot of money to the people, as well as the resistance, gaining fame as lowlifes and rebels alike.

"I didn't want to become a pirate. I was thinking about taking up the Blue Spirit identity full time, but then I understood…" he trailed off.

"You couldn't be alone?" Jee knew him very well; too well indeed. He realised the kid had been thinking about this for a long time, churning it over for the past year and a half at least, so he stayed silent and let Zuko talk.

"I had feelings for you, and I saw you did as well. Being the Blue Spirit would surely be lonely, and dealing with loneliness is not my best area. So, we decided on piracy and that was that. It was a cover, and we'd drop it as soon as possible. But I got sucked into this _madness_. I've been trying not to lose sight of my goal, restore the Fire Nation's honour, get Uncle on the throne like he deserves, but…"

Jee thought it was a bad time to point out that General Iroh would probably give the throne to Zuko and open a teashop somewhere.

"It felt so… _I_ felt so… free. For the first time, I had all I wanted; my honour restored by _me_ , someone that loved me for who I am, and someone I could look to for guidance without wondering if I'm enough for them. The adventure, the danger, it was something I had not thought I wanted, but I liked it nevertheless."

"And now you're leaving it all again." Jee understood, he really did. He could see it every time he looked at the boy, and feel it every time he felt just as free as the kid he came to be so fond of.

"I _will_ restore the Fire Nation's honour and make Uncle the Fire Lord! That's why I'm going to teach the Avatar. And we _will_ be together somehow. I just wish I didn't have to leave it all. Even the bonds we've made with the crew, the friends from all places, they all see me as someone I'm not, and I may never find them again after this."

The silence stretched on for a few minutes. Zuko had opened his heart, unloading it of his heavy contemplations, and Jee would do the same were he not Jee.

"I'll keep the crew together," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"I'll be the captain until this ends. You may come back, you may not, we'll see. We don't know what the future holds, but I don't see you giving up anytime soon. So I'll work on my end, and you'll work on your end, and we'll see this through."

Zuko smiled, and his face brightened considerably. Aha, there's what Jee had been waiting for. "If you die," he warned, "I will never forgive you."

"If you die I'll find you in the spirit world and kill you again."

"As if you can, old man!"

…

Sparring was exhausting but rewarding, both keeping fit and getting a nice view. The showers afterward were similarly needed but worthwhile, plus a perfect end to a not-so-perfect day. Their last day.

The talk a week ago seemed a hundred years back, and Zuko could not help the worry in his heart. What if he failed? What if Jee died while he was off playing Let's Save the World? What if he had to leave his pirating days back forever? What if-

The arms around him shifted slightly.

Tomorrow, if all went well, they would arrive. Then he could worry about Avatars and Fire Lords.

For now, all that mattered were the arms around him, the warm breath and the strong body lying half-under him. He softly pressed his lips on the other's forehead, feeling the embrace tighten imperceptibly, and he couldn't help but smile widely in the darkness.

…

And if the Fire Lord and the Captain of the Guard mysteriously disappeared for a time every year on important business, nobody noticed.

And if the Dragon's Fire Pirates mysteriously reappeared for a time each year and pilfered other crooks, be it pirates or otherwise, nobody noticed.

And if, for a time each year, two men were free to live as they wanted, together and away from anything that bound them, nobody noticed or cared.

And that was just as well, for they wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> So the idea was that Jeeko would change the way AtLA went, and this thing started forming. Then the truth that pirates are, for all their less appealing traits, free (no matter what they do with that freedom) and thus the story was born.


End file.
